


Citadel Life

by Tuffet37



Series: Hierarchy Universe [2]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-13
Updated: 2014-05-26
Packaged: 2018-01-12 05:29:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1182470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tuffet37/pseuds/Tuffet37
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of odd bits that don't really belong anywhere else.  All set after the end of For the Hierarchy.  Rating subject to change</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Too Many Cooks

Garrus leaned against the wall next to the locker room. For once, he had finished his shift before Lily. His eyes wandered around at his fellow officers as they went about either starting or ending their shift. One foot tapped idly as he waited. Working in C-Sec wasn’t exactly as he pictured it, but it did have a few perks going for it. Namely, a lot more time off duty that he could spend with Lily. The only thing they still struggled with was cooking. Apparently, neither of them was capable of producing anything even remotely edible on their own. He snorted in amusement at what their attempts the previous night had looked like.

“Most people don’t find it funny when they get stood up,” a feminine voice said from behind him.

His hand instinctively dropped down to his hip at the sudden intrusion into his thoughts; of course, he was off duty, so there was no gun for him to grab. Instead, he tried to make it look like he hadn’t just gone for his gun as he turned to see who it was. The asari stood a little too close for his taste, but perhaps it was acceptable by her people’s standards. He racked his brain trying to remember what that briefing had said was normal for interactions with asari. She gave him a warm smile. Her facial markings looked familiar and he was pretty sure he had seen her around before. At the tilt of her head as she waited for him to answer, he finally realized she had been talking to him.

“Hmm, no. I just finished first for a change is all. Err-”

“Officer Ayala T’Iomi.”

“Right, you work Shalta ward. Garrus -”

Her smile widened. “I’m impressed you remembered. And it’s Garrus Vakarian, one from the new class that just started. So that snort was about being done for the day?”

“Ah, no, it was amusement over last night’s attempt at dinner.”

She laughed. “That bad?”

“Oh, yes. The food vendors are making a fortune from us.”

“You know, I could help you out.”

“Really? How?”

“I had a roommate that was a turian. I was bored and she taught me how to make a few simple dishes.” 

“That would be great! I dreaded calling my mom for help. She’d tell my sister -”

“Oh, and that wouldn’t be pretty.”

Garrus laughed and shook his head. “No, it wouldn’t.”

“Why don’t you come over, in, say, two hours. That should give me time to get some things done.”

“Sure. What should I bring?”

“Here, let me send you a list and my address.”

His omni-tool pinged and he pulled up the message. “Great, and thanks. I’ll -”

“Leave your girlfriend at home. My kitchen is tiny; there won’t be room for all of us and she would just be bored sitting around while we cook.”

“Oh, okay. I know what you mean; we call our kitchen a closet.”

“See you later, Garrus,” Ayala said, her words accompanied by a little wave of her hand.

Garrus was still grinning when Lily finally emerged from the locker room. She gave him a small smile when she spotted him.

“I know, I know. You beat me today.”

“Better than that, someone offered to teach me some simple turian dishes.”

“No way! Your partner?”

“No, another officer - Ayala T’Iomi.”

“Wait - isn’t she the asari that works Shalta ward?”

“Yeah, she had a turian roommate and learned to cook from them and she offered to show me what she knows. I’ve got to pick up some stuff on the way home before I head over there.”

Lily sighed and bumped him with her shoulder. “Lucky bastard. You’re just afraid your mom will laugh like mine did.”

Garrus chuckled. “I thought she was going to pass out from lack of breathing when you told her what happened to - what did you call it?”

“Pasta. How was I supposed to know that keeping it warm in the water while I finished making the sauce was a bad idea!”

“Right. Anyway, I didn’t want my mom to hurt herself laughing, so now maybe I won’t have to call her.”

“I hate you.”

Garrus dropped his arm around her shoulder. “Now, now, don’t be like that. You’ll figure it out...some day.”

He dodged the elbow directed at him with a little side step as they headed out into the Citadel proper. Still laughing at her grumbling, they made their way to the market they frequently stopped at on their way home. There they had to split up as they each searched for what they needed. At the checkout, they fell into line behind each other. Garrus looked over into Lily’s basket and saw that she had settled for packaged meals for what looked like the next few days. The list that Ayala had given him had seemed an odd mix, but he couldn’t really say anything, since all his attempts at cooking had been just as disastrous as Lily’s. 

After Lily paid for her shopping, Garrus placed his items on the counter. The old turian laughed and shook his head at the jumble of things he was buying.

“Making another attempt, are you?”

Garrus grinned. “Yes, but this time someone is showing me what to do.”

“Too bad. I was hoping to retire on your failed cooking.”

“Ha! Very funny.”

He bagged up his groceries and handed it to Garrus. “Who’s joking?”

Garrus shook his head with a small laugh. Lily fell into step beside him.

“See, even the local grocer thinks we are doomed to packaged and take-out the rest of our lives.”

“He’s hoping anyway. So, how was your patrol?”

“I got to chase a pickpocket across half the station. At least it seemed that way. Let me tell you, salarians are not long distance runners.”

Garrus laughed. “Your partner couldn’t keep up?”

“Hell, no. I had to radio him when I finally caught the guy. He at least brought a squad car to pick us up. How was yours?”

“I had to convince a hanar that he wasn’t allowed to preach without a permit and, well, not where he was either. That was my highlight.”

She laughed. “Hard to believe we gave up chasing space pirates for this.”

Garrus gently laid his hand against where he knew her scar lay. “I’m not sorry.”

She smiled up at him. “Neither am I.”

They had just arrived at their apartment when Garrus glanced down and saw the time.

“Crap. I’ve got to go or I’ll be late.”

Lily stood on her tiptoes in order to plant a kiss on him. “Try not to destroy her kitchen.”

“Who, me? When I return, I’ll hopefully have mastered at least one dish.”

“If I were you, I would just hope for something edible.”

He leaned down and nuzzled her neck. “You’re just jealous that I’ll be eating something fresh tonight.” He gave her neck a lick. “Hmm, maybe more than one thing.”

“You better hurry off then so you can get your ass back here to fulfill that second promise.”

He gave her a crisp salute and headed back out. His strides lengthened as he tried to make up time from his dallying with Lily. It didn’t take him long to find her apartment and he knocked. The door slid open and Ayala beckoned him in. 

“Thank you again for taking the time to teach me.”

“It will be fun,” she said with a smile.

His gaze roamed around the space, easily three times where he and Lily lived, but then, she had been in C-Sec far longer than he had been alive. Soft music played in the background and he had to stop and listen for a moment.

“Wow, I haven’t heard that in ages. My sister loved this group when I was growing up.”

“Oh, what about you?”

“Not so much at the time. They mostly sang love songs.”

“Ah, and now?”

Garrus gave a soft laugh. “I have more appreciation of them. Although I’m surprised you listen to them. Most non-turians can’t hear all the nuances in the singing.”

“I appreciate what I can hear and this was another gift from that roommate I told you about.”

She drifted over to a counter and poured two glasses of something. She offered one to Garrus and he placed the bag of groceries down on the counter so he could take the glass. He took a tentative sip and when the liquor hit his tongue, he sighed with the richness of the taste. 

“Oh, this is the good stuff. I probably shouldn’t have any if I’m going to be cooking.”

She shook her head with a grin. “Trust me, a little wine to relax you will make things go much easier. If you’re too tense then that is when things tend to go wrong.”

“Hmm, okay. You’re the boss.”

He lifted his glass in acknowledgement and took another sip. She emptied the groceries and put those that needed to be refrigerated away. He watched for a moment, his wine slowly disappearing.

“So, where do we start?”

She chuckled. “That’s what I like about turians. It’s always about making a plan of attack. Like a few other things, cooking can’t be rushed.”

An embarrassed hum left him. “Yeah, I found that out the hard way. Turning the oven up to make it cook faster doesn’t really work that way.”

She waved her hand and gestured to the bag of rortor in front of her. “Cut these up.”

“That I can do.”

She handed him a knife and cutting board. He opened the bag and proceeded to attack the poor vegetables. She laughed and moved in closer and stopped him from further destroying the innocent greens. She rested her hand over his and showed him how to cut with a smaller motion, which resulted in less crushed rortor. When her other hand moved in to caress his waist, he jumped away, his arms flailing about and nearly knocking her over in the process.

“Oh, um. I’m sorry, there must be a mistake -”

She laughed a rich, deep sound full of invitation. “I certainly hope not.”

He shook his head and backed away from her as she stalked towards him. “No, I’m with someone. I really just came to cook. I’m sorry if you thought it was something more.”

“This doesn’t have to be complicated,” she said as she followed him. “Just a little fun, and afterwards I’ll teach you a dish so you won’t have lied to her.”

“Turians have more loyalty to their partners than that,” he said with an angry shake of his head.

“Only when they are serious about them.”

She took in the expression on his face and backed away. “Goddess, you are serious about her.”

Garrus didn’t answer her, just left the apartment as fast as he could. His appetite vanished somewhere along the way home. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of the door to their place. He keyed in the code and entered. Lily was on their sofa, they had bought it together, he thought vehemently, her dinner in her hands. Her eyebrows shot up at his sudden appearance. He dropped down heavily next to her. She bumped her shoulder against his side.

“She kick you out because you destroyed her kitchen?” she laughed.

He shook his head. Where had he gone wrong? “She wanted to teach me more than cooking. I got out of there as fast as I could. I’m sorry.”

She wrapped her arm around him. “You have nothing to apologize for. You didn’t take her up on her offer.”

He tugged her onto his lap so he could bury his face in her neck. “Of course I didn’t. I’m a terrible cop. I refused to see the signs.”

“What signs?”

“The soft romantic turian music. The wine. I bolted when she tried to grope my waist though.”

“Garrus, it’s okay. If someone offered to teach me how to cook, I would have gone as well.”

“I mean she knew about us. It’s not like we are subtle after work. I thought she understood that we are -” The word he wanted to put in there hung in his throat.

“Together?” 

“More than that,” he said. His voice was quiet, but rich with the tones he knew she couldn’t hear.

She tugged on his chin until he lifted his head so she could look him in the eyes. “It’s okay. She was a fool if she thought you could be lured away.”

“She didn’t want me, not really. She just wanted something casual, something meaningless. She didn’t understand what you mean to me.”

She smiled at him and pressed her forehead to his. “The same thing you mean to me. I guess we just muddle along until our mothers stop laughing long enough to give us some useful advice.”

“Agreed. I’ll call her later and you can listen to her tease me. Of course, that will be nothing compared to what Sol does when she hears.”

“Sometimes it’s good to be an only child.”

They sat entwined a little while longer, neither of them willing to give up the touch of the other. Well, until Garrus’s stomach made a loud noise of displeasure. They both chuckled and she climbed off his lap. He pressed his lips against her and left her on the sofa so he could find one of his packaged meals. They weren’t so bad, and it was far better than the thought of losing her. He still hadn’t told her how far he had spiraled down in those few days he had believed her gone from his life forever. She had never asked, and he wasn’t quite ready to talk about it yet. Someday soon, he would.


	2. The Visitor

Shepard waved good-bye as the last of those on her shift drifted out the door. Most of those on the next shift had already left to begin their patrols. She spun around on her chair for a moment, trying not to think about the fact that Garrus and his partner were still out on a call. She sighed as she turned her attention back to finishing the last of her paperwork. Thirty minutes later, she finally completed the last form and shut the console down. She pushed up and out of her chair and headed for the dispatch desk. Maybe they could give her an idea of how much longer until they would be back. A few steps from the desk, however, her omni-tool pinged.

“Finally,” she said under her breath.

_Heading to the main hospital in Zakera Ward - nothing major. - G._

Swearing under her breath, she quickly typed a reply.

_What in hell does that mean? What happened? - L._

His reply wasn’t reassuring.

_I’ll explain when you get here. - G._

She rushed back to her desk and grabbed her things before leaving. Although they usually walked or took the mass transit around the Citadel, this time, Lily splurged and hired a taxi instead to take her to the hospital. The car had barely landed before she dove out of it and rushed inside the building. A quick glance around and she spotted the front desk. The asari that sat serenely behind it looked up at her approach. 

“Excuse me, where can I find Officer Vakarian? He was brought in after being injured.”

“And you are?”

“I’m Lily Shepard, his girlfriend.”

“I’m sorry, Miss Shepard, but only immediate family are allowed in the recovery area.”

“Well, can you tell me how badly he was hurt?”

“That information can’t be released to non-family members either.”

“We live together, dammit; it’s not like I met him a week ago.”

“You aren’t immediate family, so I’m sorry, but you’ll have to wait out here.”

“Miss Shepard,” a dual toned voice said from behind her.

Lily swiveled around and the elder Vakarian nodded towards her.

“My son is just like his mother. He fails to see that a little information does more harm than good.”

“I totally agree, sir. Do you know what happened to him?”

He shook his head and stepped towards the receptionist. “I’m Titus Vakarian, Garrus Vakarian’s father. What was he brought in for?”

The asari looked over at Lily and then back at Titus and at his reassuring nod, she opened up a file.

“He was brought in for a badly broken leg. He’s expected to make a full recovery, but is in the recovery room until a doctor clears him.”

“Where might I find him?”

“Go to the third floor. The receptionist there can direct you to his room, but only immediate family is allowed in there.”

“Thank you.”

He turned towards Lily. “I’m sorry; you will have to wait here, but I’ll make sure he finds you.”

“Thank you, sir.”

She watched him head to the elevator before she stalked over to a seat that faced the elevators and quickly sent a message to Garrus.

_They won’t let me up there to see you. Your dad is on his way up. - L._

Meanwhile in a room a few floors above where Lily sat, Garrus struggled to explain his injuries without it sounding worse than it really was. The pain medication that coursed through his veins weren’t help with clear thinking either. As he blearily looked around the room, the only face he recognized was that of his partner, who was busy typing away on his omni-tool.

“I have to go,” Garrus said hoarsely.

“A doctor hasn’t cleared you yet,” Marinis said without glancing up from his device.

Garrus attempted to roll out of the bed. The cast on his leg thunked on the frame of the bed, calling the nurse’s attention in the hallway to his attempt at escape. She hurried to his side and she gently pushed him back down onto the mattress.

“Sir, you shouldn’t be up yet. I’ll get the doctor now that you are awake.”

“I need to go. My girlfriend is waiting for me,” Garrus growled back, once more attempting to swing his legs free of the bed.

The nurse looked at Marinis for support, and he nodded and moved to push Garrus back down.

“Listen, just let the doc clear you and then you can go join her and we can all go home.”

Garrus grumbled a bit, but stayed put. “When will he be here?” 

“The doctor will be in shortly,” the elder Vakarian said before he entered the room. “I can now report to your mother that I personally saw you and that you will be fine. You might have wanted to let Miss Shepard know exactly what happened, as I found her downstairs, frustrated by the lack of information she was permitted to know.”

“Sir!” Marinis saluted. “Uh, I’ll see you next week, Vakarian.”

Garrus gave him a nod before a sigh escaped him. “I didn’t want to worry her.”

“Remember when your mother was hit? I know you blamed me for not returning to Palaven to be with her.”

Titus held up a hand when Garrus would have interrupted.

“I believe you are now ready to hear my side of why I didn’t return home. Your mother called me and told me she only had a few cuts and bruises and would be out of the hospital as soon as they had finished checking her over.”

“She had broken bones!”

“I know that now and now I know why she only placed a voice call only. She said it was to maintain the privacy of others around her, but it was to hide the extent of her injuries because she didn’t want to worry me.”

Their discussion was interrupted by the arrival of the doctor. The salarian barely looked up from his datapad before beginning to speak.

“Officer Vakarian? You are ready to go home. Here is a list of complications to watch for; come back immediately if any of them appear. You’ll need to set up a follow-up appointment with your own doctor to get the cast removed. And here are the prescriptions you will need filled. Have you any questions for me?”

Garrus gruffly replied, “No, I’m good.”

Titus took the datapad and handed the crutches that rested just out of Garrus’s reach over to his son. His father’s steps were slow and measured beside him as he slowly made his way out of the room. Titus pointed towards where the elevators were and Garrus moved carefully towards them. They rode down in silence. Garrus glanced over at his father, but as usual, his features revealed little of what he might be thinking. The door slid open and it only took a second for him to spot Lily. She must have seen him as well, because she practically leaped from her seat in order to meet him just a few short steps outside the elevator. 

Titus held the datapad out to Lily. “Here is everything you need to know. Do not hesitate to call me should you have problems of _any_ sort.”

Garrus winced a little at the way his father implied he would be the one to give her trouble.

“Of course, sir. Thank you.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

Titus Vakarian caught Garrus’s eye before he nodded to the pair. “You’re welcome.”

They watched him leave before they, too, headed outside at a much slower speed. Shortly after she had settled him into another cab, her hand smacked the top of his head with a thunk.

“Next time, just tell me!”

His shoulders dropped a little. “I know. I’m sorry. I just didn’t want you to worry. I figured you would get upset when I said hospital and didn’t want to add to that.”

“I’ll get you settled at home and then go get your meds and some supper.” She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the side of his face. “I’m glad you are alright.”

He wrapped an arm around her. “Me, too. I was nearly buried under half a ton of krogan. I managed to mostly get out of his way as he fell, but my leg got caught by one of his flailing arms.”

“What were you - he doing?”

“We were breaking up a bar fight. He had just started to run to charge out of the bar when Marinis tripped him. Unfortunately, he fell towards me.”

“Need to jump faster than that next time, Vakarian.”

He laughed. “Trust me, I’ll be practicing once this cast comes off.”

The rest of the trip back home was uneventful, that is until they found a figure leaned against the wall by their front door.

“Crap,” Garrus muttered before he said much louder, “Sol, what are you doing here?”

The figure turned to face them and Lily saw the same cobalt blue markings as those that graced Garrus’s face.

“On shore leave. Dad told me you were living out here on your own. What the hell happened to you?”

“Krogan.”

His tone had her mandibles fluttering for a moment before she shook her head. “Sounds like a story.”

“Yeah, but you’ll have to wait a bit for me to spill it.”

Lily moved up, unlocked the door, and waited for the other two to enter. Sol strode through the door and looked around. Lily followed and took a few steps closer to Garrus.

“Uh, Sol, I live here with Lily, my girlfriend,” he said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“Yes, Shepard, wasn’t it? I heard about her from Dad as well. I’m in need of a stiff drink. I don’t suppose you have something suitable here for me? I was going to take you to this great bar down the way where we could have a nice little family chat. You don’t mind if I borrow my brother for a bit, do you, Shepard?”

Garrus flinched at the inflection in her voice. Lily caught his eye and he gave a small nod.

“Sure; I need to go get his prescriptions and I was going to pick up some supper for us -”

“Great, I pretty much like the same things he does; you don’t mind picking something up for me as well?”

Lily’s eyes flattened but at Garrus’s pleading look, she held her tongue. Giving Garrus a small nod, she strode back out the door.

Garrus eased himself down onto the sofa before he turned to glare at his sister. “Damn it, Sol! I’m staying right here. I’ve had a crappy enough of a day already. What exactly is going on?”

“Spirits, Garrus! What are you thinking living with -”

“Don’t say it, Sol,” he growled out.

Her mandibles were tight against her face and she leaned her face close to him. “Mom and Dad might be willing to let you make your own mistakes, but someone needs to talk some sense into you!”

“Right, we are done here.” Garrus pointed towards the door. “You can show yourself out.”

“Oh no, little brother, I’m not leaving yet.”

He flicked on the television and turned up the volume. Seeing that her current approach wasn’t going to work, she sat down heavily next to him. “Please. I just don’t understand.”

He grumbled a bit, but turned the set off. She left the sofa, began rummaging through their little cooling unit, and pulled out a bottle of his beer. She opened it and returned to the sofa. She swirled it a moment before she took a long gulp of it. She stared into the amber liquid while she spoke.

“Why?”

“Huh?”

“Why her? I mean, I get trying new things, and by all means fuck her all you want, but I can hear you are getting _attached_ to her.”

“Solana, that’s awfully fucking cold. You met her, for what, thirty seconds at the most, yet somehow you have figured out she’s not right for me!”

“Because you are my brother! What happens when you get older and are ready to settle down, exactly what kind of life can the two of you have together?”

Garrus leaned towards her, and everything in how he held his body screamed that he was very serious. “A good one, so back off or we are done here.”

She grumbled a bit and instead of saying something that would be sure to set him off, she turned her gaze to the rest of the little apartment for a moment. 

“So, what, there were no turians you found attractive in the service or out of it?”

He laughed, the sound bitter to her ears. “Sure, there is a really good looking one in C-Sec. She operates the call line during the day and she is one of the worst gossips I have ever met.”

“Oh. Okay, maybe not her.”

“What, she isn’t better simply because of her species?”

“At least I’m sure she wouldn’t need to use a relationship with you in order to further her career!”

Garrus leaned back in his chair while his mandibles fluttered for a second. “What! Lily only joined C-Sec because I asked her to.”

“And I’m sure you asked Dad to _help_ her out!”

Garrus chuckled and shook his head. “Actually, a Spectre fast tracked her application, not Dad.”

“Right,” Sol said with a snort.

“The only thing I asked Dad about was if he knew where to find the damn forms she needed to fill out. Do you remember the attack on Mindoir that Spectre Kryik thwarted? Remember the reports only said that a Hierarchy soldier had helped him? That was her.”

“No! That -”

“Yes! She wanted to remain anonymous, but she has the commendation given to her hanging up in our bedroom,” Garrus said while his hand gestured towards the room.

The bottle hit the table beside the sofa with a loud clink before Sol was up and walking into their bedroom. She returned a few minutes later and paced around the small space before snagging her beer and downing the rest of it in a few gulps. Garrus sighed as she grabbed another from his stash. At this rate there would be none left before he could get her out the door.

“I know what you would say if she was turian; you’d tell me that she was too good for me and that I better not fuck this up.”

Sol turned at the sound of his voice, her eyes comically wide.

“Every day I wake up next to her, I say to myself, ‘Garrus, don’t screw this up.”

“You can’t-”

“I do mean it, every word. If you can’t keep your racist crap out of our home, then I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

“What? You’d pick her over family!”

“As far as I’m concerned, she is family and Mom likes her.”

“She does not!”

“Ask her,” Garrus said, a hint of smugness in his voice.

A bang on the front door announced the return of Lily.

“Sol, open the door for her. It sounds like she has her hands full.”

Her eyes narrowed at her brother before she did as he asked. Lily entered and glanced around and, well, nothing was broken at least. She handed him a carton of food and his medications with a brush of her lips against his face. He shot a grin over to where his sister stood.

“So, are you staying or leaving, Sol?”

Lily glanced between the two of them and with a sigh, Sol dropped into a chair.

“I’d like to stay for dinner, if that is okay?”

Lily handed her the other container before taking the spot next to Garrus on the couch.

“So, Garrus,” Sol asked in between bites, “how did a krogan break your leg?”

He groaned, which only drew a laugh from his sister.

“He apparently didn’t jump fast enough to avoid one falling,” Lily said with a grin.

Solana laughed. “Really?”

“If we are going to tell embarrassing stories, Sol, you should ask Lily what Kryik’s nickname for her is and why.”

The words were barely out of his mouth when Lily’s hand connected with his shoulder.

“Of course, Lily needs to ask you about your first boyfriend.”

That drew a groan from Sol. “Ugh, please, I’m trying to eat here.”

***

Several hours later and they were finally alone. Garrus rested his head on top of Lily’s as they half-heartedly watched a vid. He wasn’t even sure what was playing; he hadn’t been paying that much attention to what she had selected. Sol’s arrival hadn’t turned into the disaster it could have become. She had made an effort to get to know Lily and that was all he could hope for. Well, that and keeping her opinions to herself.

At least they had a few days off before they had to return to work, since it was the end of the workweek for both of them. Besides, they had big plans for tomorrow. Seeing some of the sights of the station, and then in the evening they were supposed to meet some fellow officers for drinks and dancing... Okay, maybe not the dancing. He rubbed his face in her hair, mussing it up and drawing a sigh from her. Spirits, but it was fun to do that. He loved the feeling of her hair against his face, not to mention the scent of her, which always made his chest hum with pleasure. Of course, then there was the added bonus that it always drew exasperated sighs from her. However, she already knew what was coming next in his routine. He brushed his mouth against her ear.

“Hmm, it’s been a long day; are you ready to go to bed?”

She laughed. “Why do you bother asking? I know when you ruffle my hair that you’re ready to go.”

She untangled herself from him and grabbed his crutches that were leaned against the back of the sofa. He took them, although he didn’t get off the sofa right away. He looked up at her with a smile.

“Thanks for giving my sister a chance even though she was an ass to begin with.”

Lily shrugged. “Well, if you ever met my Mom, you’ll likely get the same treatment. What did you say to her to get her to change her tune?”

“I told her that her racist opinions weren’t welcome in our home.”

“Thank you. It means a lot to me that you stood up to her for us. Come on, let’s get you to bed.”

He waggled his eyebrow plates. “I know you can’t keep your hands off of me, but really, I don’t think I’m up to that sort of thing tonight.”

She rolled her eyes at him and he laughed. He levered himself out of the sofa and followed her into the bedroom. He’d barely got settled on his pillows before the pain medication pulled him asleep. Lily smiled at him even as his soft snores began to echo in the room. He flung his arm over her as soon as she curled into his side. 

Knowing he was nearly asleep, she mumbled, “You know, your sister threatened to hunt me down and hurt me if I ever hurt you.”

His breathing never changed. She’d have to ask him tomorrow if she really was in Blackwatch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks once more to Mordinette for her help as my beta, thank you! And another to the readers, sorry it took so long!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks once more to Mordinette for all her help as my beta!


End file.
